Christmas  Bells
by Oldwickedsongs
Summary: "And in despair I hung my head, 'there is no peace on earth,' I said." Snape has to kill for Voldemort on Christmas Eve. It's not that the killing phases him, it's just that...isn't he supposed to be a good guy now? A Dark Prince Christmas Carol (sorta)


Disclaimer: "If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended, 

That you have but slumber'd here while these visions did appear.

And this weak and idle theme is no more yielding then a dream." 

- Midsummer's Night Dream 

Christmas Bells 

By: Lady Erised 

I heard the bells on Christmas day 

**Their old familiar carols play, **

**And wild and sweet **

**The words repeat **

**Of peace on earth, good will to men**

"Cruio!" 

The curse shattered the peaceful midnight like glass. Snape looked back, glancing at Jacqueline as she made the Auror writhe on the floor. The other Death Eaters, three in number, gathered around the old Armsman as he struggled to breath and hold down his dinner. He was failing at both. 

"Release him!" Shouted the Auror's wife, a Muggle woman who probably had no idea what her husband did for a living until tonight. "For god's sake release him!" 

"Not before we're done." Jacqueline hissed, slapping the woman away. 

The wife fell into glass coffee table, her arms being ravished in the process. She moaned softly from the pain but ignored her bleeding. Her eyes were focused on her husband. 

**I thought how, as the day had come, **

**The belfries of all Christendom **

**Had rolled along **

**The unbroken song **

**Of peace on earth, good will to men. **

Snape took his eyes away from the woman and man and studied their Christmas tree. He approached it cautiously, as if he had never seen one before and gingerly reached out and touched one of the branches. It had an ornament of colored paper and Popsicle sticks with a girl's picture glued into the middle amid a sprinkling of red and green glitter.

No doubt some child's school project. 

Snape took it off the tree and turned it over in his hands, studying it and as he did, his heart twisted in his chest. He closed his eyes, in a futile attempt to soothe his nerves. Of course it didn't work. It never worked. 

"Enough." He ordered. Jacqueline stopped and turned towards him. He looked straight into her eyes. "Enough. Let him die." 

"That would be a merciful death." She rebuked. "He deserves to suffer for what he's done to our kind." 

Snape almost threw up in disgust when she referred to him as one of them. He wanted to kill her in that moment, for the audacity of making such an assumption. Instead he sneered at her coldly. "It's Christmas Eve, give him that mercy." 

"And the wife?" 

"Leave her to me." Snape said, nonchalantly as he strolled past her. He reached down, grabbed the woman by the ruff of her nightgown and forced her into the back of the house, towards the bedrooms. He ignored the suggestive comments and gestures of his fellow Death Eaters. He pushed her forward. "Come on!" 

**Till ringing, singing, on it's way, **

**The world revolved from night to day, **

**A voice, a chime, a chant sublime **

**Of peace on earth, good will to men **

"Dear god, please, don't!" The woman moaned, grabbing at his hands. He held her tighter but only to keep her from causing him personal harm. He took into the master bedroom and threw her against the bed. She rolled over and stared at him, terrified and mute. She was grasping her nightgown, even though the flannel gown did nothing for Snape, he was a little amused by her. 

He smiled coldly and such an action only threw the woman into another wave of desperate, tearful pleas for mercy. He finally got annoyed and silenced her. "Quiet woman, I mean not to harm you!" 

"Wha…what?" 

"I said, I'm not going to hurt you but you have to obey everything I say. Do I make myself clear?" 

"Yes." 

"Good, now where is your son?" 

"You won't hurt him, will you?" 

"I'm trying to save his life." Snape strained, he was dangerously close to losing his patience. "Where is he?" 

Then from each black, accursed mouth 

**The cannon thundered in the south **

**And with the sound **

**The carols drowned **

**Of peace on earth, good will to men. **

Snape walked towards the small crib and stared down at the sleeping infant. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a small vial, unscrewing the top and wetting his finger with the sleeping potion. Snape closed the bottle then, ever so gently as to not wake the child, he smeared the potion unto the baby's lips.

The little boy licked his lips on instinct and rolled over, diving into a deep, dreamless sleep that resemble death. Snape stayed by the infant's side, ensuring that the child eased into the slumber without complications. He checked the baby's pulse. He could barely feel it. The potion was working. 

Snape rose and turned to the woman, offering her the rest of the vial. She took it with trembling hands and drank it down as if were whiskey meant to give her courage. Snape watched her, and then drew his wand. 

"Avada Kedreva!" He shouted, loud enough for the Death Eaters to hear. He aimed and watched the deadly green mist envelop a giant Pooh bear in the corner. The woman falling from the effects of the sleeping potion made a nice thud that helped create the scene. 

Snape smiled as he walked out of the room. He had killed a Pooh bear…there was a first. He almost gave Pooh the mark of the Dark Prince, like he did to all his victims but thought better. He would never hear the end of it if it got back to Mallory. So instead, he replaced his wand and walked out of the bedroom, ushering the Death Eaters out of the house. 

"Go home," He ordered. "And sleep off this kill." 

"Merry Christmas, my Prince." Jacqueline whispered before Apparating. 

**It was as if an earthquake rent **

**The hearthstones of a continent **

**And more forlorn **

**The household born **

**Of peace on earth, good will to men **

He collapsed on his bed as soon as he reached his quarters at Hogwarts. He buried his face in his pillow and screamed into the down. It was a scream of utter despair and massive self-disgust. He felt like he was losing his mind, and that everything that had happened had been for nothing.

He was supposed to have redeemed himself, was supposed to have become a good guy. If that was the case, why did he still have blood on his hands?

Snape screamed again. He hated moments like this, after a kill, when his soul came up and demanded answers and atonements for the sins he preformed and continued to make.

He couldn't get the picture of the man, writhing, screaming on the floor out of his head and in a way, Snape was jealous of that man. At least he was cold and dead and didn't have to wake up tomorrow or the next day or the next to the same deadly game. He no longer had to forever watch his back, plot his course and be two steps ahead of everyone else. His burden was over. 

He no longer had to play this game. 

And Snape envied him. 

Part of Snape screamed for it all to end. He wanted to give up, lay down his wand and submit to whatever cruel death awaited monsters like him. He longed for that peace, for that moment right before death where he could finally say it was all over. 

That the monster called Severus Snape was dead. Yes, he longed for that death… 

But feared it as well. After all, there had to be a special place in hell for creatures like him. 

And that's all he was, all he'd ever be: a creature. 

**And in despair I bowed my head **

**"There is no peace on earth," I said, **

**"For hate is strong **

**And mocks the song **

**Of peace on earth, good will to men." **

"Professor Snape?" Albus Dumbledore whispered as he opened the door to Snape's quarters.

Snape didn't move from his bed. "He's dead." 

"Professor Snape?" Whispered another voice, a female's voice causing Snape to raise and regard his two late night visitors. He noticed that Madam Hooch was standing behind Dumbledore. She was wringing her hands together, looking nervous, angry and concerned at the same time. 

For as long as Snape had known Hooch, he had never seen her as anything but spirited and almost playful in her competitive nature. Now she looked stricken and the change worried him. He slid off the bed, straightened his robes and drew his hair back behind his ear. "What's wrong Edith?" 

"Nothing's wrong, Severus." She murmured, looking down at the floor rather then his eyes. "Albus told me where you went tonight." 

Snape glanced at Dumbledore, and frowned. Apart from the Headmaster, Professor McGonagall and Pomfrey (who had to tend with Snape's injuries at times) none of the teachers knew about Snape's little after school activities. He tilted his head, waiting for Albus to explain why the rules had suddenly changed. 

"The family…are they?" Hooch asked suddenly, drawing Snape's attention back to her. 

"The husband is." He told her, only after Dumbledore motioned for him to speak. "And the Pooh bear didn't make it either. The mother and child are fine." 

"Oh, Severus." Hooch said breathlessly. She threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly. Snape gasped a little from the shock and then, more out of obligation then actually sincerity, closed his arms around her. She was crying on his shoulder and so he rubbed her back carefully. 

"The son was Madam Hooch's nephew, Severus" Albus explained. "And her godson." 

Snape mapped out the family tree and felt his heart twist again. "Edith, I'm sorry about your brother." He whispered hastily, he wanted to pull her away, feeling very uncertain. But she just held him tighter. 

"Severus," She whispered. "You saved my family. I don't know how to thank you." 

"I didn't do anything worth thanks." He whispered, pulling her away from him. He took a step back and turned away from her. He didn't want for them to see him weak. 

"Yes you did." She exclaimed, passionately, closing the distance between them. She put her hand on his shoulder. "You saved my godson's life, my sister in law's life. Severus…" 

"I didn't save your brother…" 

"In a way you did," She said, softly. "Because you ensure his family lived. You also made sure he didn't die in vain, that's all you could do. That's more then you could have done. Thank you. If it hadn't been for you, I would have lost them all." 

Snape looked at her from over his shoulder. He smiled at her sadly. "I'm not a hero, Edith." 

She smiled at him, and pulled him into her arms again. "No," She whispered. "But you're the man we need right now…"

He looked up at Albus. The Headmaster bowed his head, smiled and whispered. "Thank you for being that. Merry Christmas, Severus." 

Snape knew it would be futile to fight anymore, so instead he simply bowed his head and held on to the woman until she was ready to pull away. 

**Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: **

**"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; **

**The wrong shall fail, **

**The right prevail **

**With peace on earth, good will to men." **

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this little piece of pointless holiday cheeriness. I wanted to write a Christmas story for old Snape and it was either this one or a Harry Potter version of the Christmas Carol (don't tempt me) Anyways, don't forget to review and a very Merry Christmas to you and yours from me and the Dark Prince! 


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